[oceanplexian]

Coal use had decreased quite a bit in the US but I believe it’s understood that cheap natural gas has been responsible and not solar.

So far as the importance of coal I think an overlooked aspect is that it’s a major ingredient in manufacturing steel. In the last year alone steel has shot up 37% in price, which has big implications for all sorts of industries.

[Retric]

The US also dropped total fossil fuels due to a mix of wind and solar. What specifically killed coal however wasn’t just prices but dispatch ability as natural gas is far cheaper to turn off and on daily. Crazy cheap solar means the ability to turn off generation every day will continue to become more valuable.

  Per person annual electricity generation was: 
  Fossil Fuel   8,626 kWh in 2014 vs 7,861 kWh in 2019
  Solar            55 kWh in 2014 vs   327 kWh in 2019
  Wind            570 kWh in 2014 vs   914 kWh in 2019
  All Renewable 1,689 kWh in 2014 vs 2,302 kWh in 2019

Fossil fuels actually peaked in 2007 at 9,922 kWh vs 1,170 kWh of Renewable.